The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Providing a landscape for creative entrepreneurs
By Kendra Walker
During a work session on June 3, the Mt. Crested Butte town council discussed their interest in going green and updating town policy to allow retail sales of marijuana.
Currently, the town prohibits marijuana sales, cultivation facilities, product manufacturing facilities and testing facilities, except for medical marijuana products by patients consistent with the Constitution and state statute. While Colorado voters passed the legalization of cannabis for adults over age 21 in 2012, cannabis laws still differ across the state because individual towns and cities are allowed to pass stricter laws. The town of Crested Butte allows marijuana sales, manufacturing and testing, and Gunnison allows marijuana sales, cultivation, manufacturing and testing.
Mt. CB town attorney Gerald Dahl explained that the council can change town policy to allow licenses for retail marijuana establishments. These licenses can apply to retail marijuana stores, retail marijuana delivery services, retail marijuana tasting lounges, retail marijuana products manufacturing, retail marijuana cultivation facilities and retail marijuana testing facilities.
“To adequately govern retail marijuana sales and any other class of marijuana license, some form of local license is recommended,” said Dahl. He further explained that the marijuana licensing would be similar to the town’s liquor licensing, in which the applicant must pay required fees, fill out an application, receive a criminal background review and meet location and zoning requirements.
“Is there any risk to town by enacting licensing for something that is still illegal federally?” asked mayor Nicholas Kempin.
“I really haven’t seen any. The industry has stabilized a lot,” said Dahl. “Issues that have largely arisen are much more localized, regular nuisance stuff you would see with alcohol (licenses).”
“There is interest, I think there’s demand for it,” said council member Steve Morris. “For me personally, I want to allow creative entrepreneurs to have a landscape for it and figure it out. I don’t think we currently have the spaces for it… but I think it’s good to have this available for somebody willing to take that chance. And it’s 2025.”
The council showed unanimous interest in pursuing the allowance of marijuana licenses in the town. They liked the idea of allowing brick and mortar retail locations only where retail liquor is also allowed, and limiting the number of marijuana retail licenses allowed. The town of Crested Butte currently allows five.
“I think four is reasonable,” said Morris. “Having four allows for two competitive areas,” he said, noting the base area and the future Villages at Mt. Crested Butte (North Village) development.
The council also expressed interest in retail marijuana delivery services and tasting lounges, and requested more information regarding additional regulations to consider with those services. Dahl agreed to draft up policy for the council’s consideration and to provide additional information on various retail marijuana regulations.
